Unveiled: The NBA’s Top Earners Who Shattered All Salary Records

You ever wonder why in the NBA, unlike MLB or the NFL, it feels like one supernova of a player can lift a whole team to glory—or collapse without a lifeline? Sure, baseball’s greatest can’t carry their squads solo, and even in football, depth can trump superstar firepower. But in hoops? It’s all about that singular star, that marquee name taking home a hefty slice of the pie, backed by a salary cap that’s itching to burst thanks to booming league revenues and players enjoying longer, more lucrative careers than ever before. Think Jayson Tatum’s historic contract or Nikola Jokic cashing in after ruling the paint—these aren’t just numbers; they’re a testament to the league’s star-studded culture where championships rarely happen in the shadows. So grab a seat as we dive headfirst into the NBA’s biggest paydays and eye-popping career earnings, laying out who’s truly dribbling away with the most dough in basketball history. LEARN MORE.

More than any of the other male sports leagues in the United States, the NBA is a league of stars. Stars who are often among the highest paid players in NBA history.

One star cannot even drag a team to the playoffs in MLB. Ask Mike Trout. Same with the NHL. And in the NFL, although a star quarterback is really important, depth of strong talent can also allow a team led by, let’s say Nick Foles, to win a championship.

In the NBA season? Championships without absolute superstars are few and far between. And although there is a maximum NBA salary currently in place, superstars get a huge piece of the financial pie.

With NBA players having longer careers than ever and the league making the most money it ever has, there have been some stars that have had incredibly lucrative careers. Below, we take a look the rankings of the highest-paid NBA players (all contract data via Spotrac).

Largest NBA Contracts

1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (5 years, $313,933,410)

Years: 2025-29 AAV: $62,786,682 Signing Age: 26

Timing is everything when it comes to being the richest free agents, as the maximum salary allowed in the NBA is tied to revenue generated by the league. The better the state of the business of the NBA, the better the maximum salary. And business has been booming for a while now.

And… players who sign with the team that drafted them (or the team that acquired them within their first four years in the NBA) and meet additional award criteria are eligible for an even larger contract extension, known as the SuperMax. This is what allowed Tatum, drafted by the Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2017 draft, to sign the largest contract of all time.

Just a couple weeks before Tatum signed his deal on July 1, 2024, he helped bring the Celtics their 18th banner in franchise history. He also had just been named to his third straight All-NBA First Team. With these accolades, it’s unsurprising the Celtics were willing to shell out the largest contract contract in league history to a player who has become a franchise icon.

2. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (5 years, $285,393,640)

Years: 2024-28 AAV: $57,078,728 Signing Age: 26

Another player drafted third overall at just 19 years old by the Celtics, Brown received what was the largest contract in NBA history at the time of his signing with Boston. Brown conveniently made his first all-NBA team in the 2022-23 season, making him eligible to sign this SuperMax deal in the summer of 2023.

Some fans were puzzled by this contract, as Brown had only been named an All-Star in two of his seven NBA seasons. However, the Celtics have valued Brown’s elite athleticism and defensive ability since he was drafted, and his significantly improved shooting has allowed him to take the leap into one of the game’s best players. The Celtics have also voiced their support for Brown’s leadership and charitable work, pushing them to offer him this deal.

Brown showed the Celtics he was worth every penny in 2023-24 when he helped bring the team a title, winning both Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP Awards.

3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (5 years, $276,122,630)

Years: 2023-27 AAV: $55,224,526 Signing Age: 27

As one of the best big men in terms of points, rebounds and assists the league has ever seen, it makes sense the Nuggets offered Jokic what was the largest contract in NBA history at the time of signing. Jokic has shown his ability to take over games with both his scoring and passing, leading to consecutive MVPs for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

With the opportunity to lock up one of the league’s premier players, the Nuggets made Jokic the SuperMax offer without hesitation, making the three-time NBA MVP and former Finals MVP the league’s third highest-paid player.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (4 years, $272,433,728)

Years: 2027-30 AAV: $68,108,432 Signing Age: 26

It’s hard to find a bigger no-brainer to sign to a massive contract than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prior to the 2025-26 offseason. SGA won the MVP and Finals MVP leading the Thunder to their first championship in Oklahoma City while also only being 26 years old.

T-5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (5 years, $269,085,780)

Years: 2025-29 AAV: $53,817,156 Signing Age: 22

Cade Cunningham was drafted first overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and spent the first three years of his career showing promise but also dealing with several injuries.

In 2024-25, he finally put it all together, averaging 26.1 points per game and 9.1 assists while making his first All-Star team and being named to the All-NBA Third Team. The Pistons rewarded him with a lucrative contract that tied him to Detroit for the following half-decade.

T-5. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (5 years, $269,085,780)

Years: 2025-29 AAV: $53,817,156 Signing Age: 23

The second pick of the 2021 NBA draft cashed in at the same time as Cunningham, as Mobley got his big deal from the Cavaliers after winning Defensive Player of the Year and being named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2024-25 at the age of 23.

Highest Career Earnings

1. LeBron James ($581,322,455)

The King stays The King.

James is one of the best players ever and has been worth a max contract longer than any player in NBA history. He’s comfortably made the most money in his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, and is still an elite player.

He can continue to lap the competition in most counting stats, including the counting of money earned.

2. Stephen Curry ($532,728,665)

Despite some early career ankle injuries and a team-friendly deal (he made just $44 million over four years when he won two MVP Awards), Curry has more than made up for it on the back end. And with the success the Warriors have had with him, his deals have been the definition of a win-win.

3. Devin Booker ($520,282,015)

It’s important to note that these figures include money guaranteed in the future, which vaults Booker up due to the extension he signed in the 2025 offseason with the Phoenix Suns.

Booker secured this extension when he was only 28 years old, which means he’ll have an opportunity to add to his earnings when he is 33 or 34 depending on if he exercises his player option. But he’s earned a lot of money in a relatively short amount of time.

3. Paul George ($516,917,026)

Paul George has been a versatile star for several years, and it’s made other star players want to play with him and teams want to give him heavy bags of money.

Kevin Durant and George are the only two players in the top 10 in career earnings who have played for four or more teams, making George one of the most well-traveled expensive players in league history. But he’s been compensated very well for his relocations.

5. Anthony Davis ($511,281,453)

Davis has dealt with a lot of injuries in his career, but it hasn’t stopped him from being one of the highest-paid players ever. He won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded for Luka Doncic in the 2024-25 season. The Mavericks pinned a lot of their franchises hopes on Davis staying healthy and living up to his status as a maximum contract player.

Highest Career Earnings for One Franchise

1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors ($532,728,665)

Curry tops the list of highest career earnings for one team, and he’ll likely continue to add to that lead. He passed Kobe Bryant for the most earned all with one team in 2022-23.

2. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns ($520,282,015)

Booker’s extension in 2025 vaulted him to second place on this list. There have been different iterations of the Phoenix Suns in his tenure, but the one constant since 2015-16 has been Booker’s stellar play.

3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers ($508,715,099)

Embiid has been one of the best players in the league when healthy, but that’s been a pretty big if as his career has progressed. He signed a 3-year, $193 million extension in the 2024 offseason then played just 19 games in 2024-25. The 76ers have yet to make the conference finals with him, but, when healthy, he’s been worth every penny of his contract due to his dominance on both ends of the floor.

4. Jayson Tatum ($469,471,035)

The bulk of Tatum’s earnings come from his massive contract following his run as the best player on the 2023-24 NBA Champion Boston Celtics. He earned the largest deal in NBA history for that season, and the Celtics will happily pay him as he continues to be one of the best players in the league.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks ($459,249,790)

There have been plenty of trade rumors over the years that would knock Antetokounmpo off this list, but it’s clear he loves Milwaukee and wants to try to build another winner there if possible. He’s already cemented his legacy with the Bucks as the best player on a championship team and two MVP awards.

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